CHAPTER XXIII 

 THE PITILESS GOODWINS 



OLD beam-trawlers still sail out to the North Sea, 

 largely from between the Forelands, where Ramsgate 

 lies. They go lazily or smartly, according to the wind, 

 past the northern end of that great " shippe-swallower " 

 which is called the Goodwin Sands, and on which so 

 many North Sea fishers and fighters have perished. 



The Goodwins stretch 10 miles from north to south, 

 and are 4 miles broad. The nearest point to the main- 

 land is opposite Deal, a distance of 4 miles, while the 

 monster's head is 6 miles from Ramsgate. At high- 

 water the Sands are covered to a depth of 16 ft. ; at 

 low tide they are to a great extent exposed, and on a 

 hot summer's day they form a golden field on which you 

 may ramble, cycle, or play cricket. But there are other 

 places that are quicksands, shifting masses which long 

 ago earned for the Goodwins the evil name of " shippe- 

 swallower." 



The shoal is, indeed, a veritable Hydra, for it has 

 heads on every side, and no sooner is one carried away 

 by swirling waters than another is formed. Between 

 the Goodwins and the mainland are the famous Downs 

 where, in westerly and easterly gales, fleets of vessels 

 anchor for shelter. This deep channel is one of the 



